If you have a moment to pray...

Please say a prayer for my grandmother Christine.

"Acknowledge, O Lord, thy creature not made by strange gods, but by thee, the only living and true God: for there is no other God beside thee, and none that doeth according to thy works. Make glad the soul of this person, O Lord, with thy presence, and remember not her old sins and excesses which wrath or heat of evil desire may have aroused. May the heavens be opened to her. May the angels rejoice with her. Into thy kingdom, O Lord, receive thy servant. May St. Michael, the Archangel of God, prince of the heavenly hosts, receive her. May the holy Angels of God come forth to meet her, and conduct her to the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. May the blessed Peter the Apostle, to whom were given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, receive her. May St. Paul the Apostle, who was counted worthy to be a chosen vessel, assist her. May St. John, the chosen Apostle of God, to whom were revealed the secrets of heaven, intercede for her. May all the holy Apostles, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and losing, pray for her, May all the saints and elect of God, who, in this world, suffered torments in the name of Christ, intercede for her, that loosed from the bonds of the flesh, she may attain unto the glory of the heavenly kingdom, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."

Advent Playlist

I love hymns.

I absolutely love hymns. There are a great many I never finish singing in church because I get a bit too emotional. When I became Anglo-Catholic 16 or so years ago, I studied the hymnal and was amazed to discover so many "holiday" or holy day hymns in addition to the beloved Christmas carols. Palm Sunday hymns are actually some of my favorites for the year! I hope my children grow up feeling the same way about Easter hymns, Thanksgiving/Harvest hymns, and other feast day hymns as most of us feel about Christmas hymns - there are so many treasures spread throughout the year.

Last year, I made a playlist of advent carols. Many of them were pulled from Christmas albums or are traditional hymns that mention the Second Coming. Some are simply traditional songs full of legend and symbolism. I am particularly drawn to songs that have many versions such as "The Cherry Tree Carol." Our family enjoyed the playlist last year. The girls probably would have preferred "Run, Run, Rudolph" and others of that ilk, but I hope over the years they will develop an appreciation for the songs that Christians have sung for generations and not yearn for the tunes blared at the mall. Although, Nutmeg told me she heard "Ave Maria" at the bookstore this weekend; that is a definite improvement over "Last Christmas I gave you my heart..."

I am sharing my list from last year in hopes it might encourage you to create your own or share your favorites with me that would fit the general theme of anticipation.

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel Memoria Press ( I need a longer version)

Down in Yon Forest a version by Bruce Cockburn and one by Kathleen Lundquist (I'm actually not sure why I put this on the Advent list...hmm...)

The Angel Gabriel Maddy Prior

Gabriel's Message Sting

The Seven Rejoices of Mary versions by Anonymous 4, Loreena McKennitt

The Cherry Tree Carol versions by Sting, Anonymous 4, The Baltimore Consort

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Rose and Thistle Band

People Look East Al Petteway & Amy White

Creator of the Stars of Night Caroline Bowles

Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming Sting

Maria Through the Thornwood Goes Custer Larue & Ronn McFarlane

Lo He Comes with Clouds Descending Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band

I'm off to search iTunes; I hope to hear from you about your favorites!

"Your Well-Trimmed Light"

My husband is fairly brilliant in matters theological. He knows the Bible backwards and forwards, he knows the Church Fathers and their letters; he quotes the decrees of the Councils of the undivided Church at breakfast -you get the picture. It is not often that I can score a good one! This year he was complaining about the Christmas cards I purchased because they read "Happy Holidays." "Well," I said, "You and I know that 'holiday' comes from 'holy day.' And they were on sale!" He hurumphed into his coffee and that was that. Imagine my delight when the sermon on Sunday containd a reference to that very thing! Our priest opened his sermon with some observations on the "Happy Holidays Phenomenon." For us, the Christmas Season is chock full of Holy Days! Tomorrow night, we will celebrate The Vigil of the Nativity; 25 December we celebrate The Birth of Jesus (not His Incarnation -we celebrated that 25 March - 9 months ago); 26 December we honor Saint Stephen, the First Christian Martyr (I have a brother named Stephen; I grew up singing about St. Wen. doing something on "the Feast of Stephen." I had no idea, but I had some creepy ideas!); 27 December we celebrate John the Evangelist, The Beloved Disciple; 28 December we celebrate The Feast of the Holy Innocents, the children Herod killed, and we remember the children today, born and unborn who are in peril; 29 December is Thomas Becket, 1 January, eight days after The Nativity, is the Circumcision of Christ - the first time Jesus' Blood was shed in accordance with The Law; The 12 Days of Christmas come to an end on 5 January with the Twelfth Night Festivities; 6 January is The Epiphany. That is a Season of Holy Days indeed!

I am as guilty as anyone of letting the stress of the season get to me - my house is a wreck with glitter and glue and globs of cookie dough that some how leapt onto the cabinets and under the table; unfinished Christmas stitching is overflowing the basket; the presents I have bought are not all wrapped, my sister's little girl has the flu and family plans are up in the air - BUT I keep reminding myself that the only thing I really have to do is prepare myself and prepare my children to fully celebrate Jesus' Birth. That is all. If we did nothing but attend Christ's Mass, snuggle while reading some favorite Christmas books, rise on Christmas morning and sing the beautiful carols - it would be enough! The presents and decorations and travel are gravy (or icing, if you look at it that way!) What a shame it would be if the simple and real things were overlooked in the bother and bustle of "the holidays;" if we like the foolish virgins (think of all the ones we have cross stitched!) were found unprepared to celebrate this Great Feast.

"Wake, awake, for night is flying: The watchmen on the heights are crying, Awake, Jerusalem, arise! Midnight's solemn hour is tolling, His chariot wheels are nearer rolling, He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise. Rise up, with willing feet Go forth, the Bridegroom meet: Alleluia! Bear through the night Your well-trimmed light, Speed forth to join the marriage rite."

As ye have done to the Least

I understand that dressing up as nuns is popular particularly on Halloween. I am sure many little girls are excited today about dressing as The Little Flower for All Saints' parties tonight or tomorrow.

But many, male and female, will be dressing to mock the Christian religion. The Nun, or The Pregnant Nun is such a cliche in our culture that no thought is given to what is actually being mocked. Yes, there are and have been "bad nuns," but I can hardly think that gives license to mock the many, many women who over the centuries have dedicated their lives to healing the sick, teaching the young, and caring for the poor and abandoned.

They are persecuted and murdered under regimes all over the world. And what calls them forth? Do they choose this life for their own glory? Does the devil call them to serve the lowest among us and spread Christian charity throughout the world?

When you heedlessly dress as a nun, you are mocking Christian Charity.

For the non-Christian, perhaps this does not matter, but for the Christian, mocking these Brides of Christ is a grave mistake.

Do you realize that they have dedicated their lives to prayer? They gather to read scripture and pray together throughout the hours of the day and the night. At night, while you slumber, nuns all over the world are praying for those known and unknown to the them. A nun was asked why she would rise from her bed and pray in the dark and cold. She responded that in the middle of the night people are frightened, attacked, and murdered, and she offers prayers for all in need. These are the women you are mocking.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40

Michaelmas!

Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Goose and apple are two of the traditional foods of this day. In England, Michaelmas marked one of the quarters of the year; quarterly rents were due on this day, fairs were held, and today the fall school term is still known as the Michaelmas term.
When I was younger, I would always receive bookmarks and other small gifts with my name's meaning. They all said, "Michele - Like God." That absolutely horrifies me now! St. Michael earned his name when Lucifer sought to be "Like God," and Michael thundered, "Who is like God?"
St. Michael is the patron saint of many including policemen and soldiers. (I thought that might interest you, Jennifer!)

"St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls."

"Everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Yea, Christ my hope is arisen."

"'Welcome, happy morning!" age to age shall say: Hell today is vanquished, heav'n is won today!"

"Lo, the fair beauty of earth, from the death of the winter arising! Ev'ry good gift of the year now with its Master returns!"

"Maker and Redeemer, life and health of all, Thou from heav'n beholding human nature's fall, Of the Father's Godhead, true and only Son, Manhood to deliver, manhood didst put on."

"Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia! Praise him, all ye heav'nly host, Alleluia! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia! Amen."

I hope you all had a blessed Easter Day! (We celebrate Easter for forty days to commemorate the 40 days Jesus was with his disciples between the Resurrection and Ascension.)

A Priest, A Dog, and A Sampler

Our ancient, 13-year old dog, Ursa, received the Blessing of Sick Animals this past Sunday. We had spent the weekend at my parents' house so Ursa was with us when we drove back Sunday morning. Ursa was having unusually bad leg pain over the weekend. A vet said it could be a fracture due to brittle bones caused by Old Age or bone cancer. I asked our priest if he could give Ursa a blessing. Traditionally there is a Blessing of the Animals on St. Francis' Day in October. This was a Blessing for Sick Animals. I can imagine the importance of this blessing years ago in rural communities where your livestock was all the wealth you might have. And yes, Ursa is much better and is putting weight on her hurt leg.

I have restarted my sampler rotation. I had gotten out of the habit because I was missing various threads I needed. There must be a gremlin in my house who likes cross stitch thread! Hmmm.. .I can think of two...

I'll to thee a simnel bring!

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." So wrote St. Paul in his letter to Galatians, and so have and will Anglo-Catholics, hear read in church on this the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Now Anglo-Catholic sounds like a loaded phrase, and it may even sound like an impossibility. It has ancient roots and a misunderstood history, which I won't go into in this post! ;) I will just say we are very conservative catholics with an English "flavor." And that brings me to today: Mothering Sunday. A tradition arose in England for parishioners of daughter churches to visit the mother church. Eventually it became a holiday for servants to go and visit their mothers. And eventually it was replaced by Mothers' Day here in the USA.

According to tradition, the servants would bring their mother a simnel cake and the mother in return would give a blessing.

"I'll to thee a simnell bring,

Gainst thou goest a-mothering;

So that, when she blesseth thee,

Half that blessing thou'lt give me."

-Robert Herrick

There are various recipes all over the 'net, but they always include almond paste either in the middle of the cake or on top or both. Some people say the simnel cake has become the easter cake. The recipe I have been using calls for butter, sugar, almond paste, flour, salt, orange and lemon peel, currants and eggs. I do wonder how the servants came by all those fancy ingredients!

I will take a picture of the cake at church this morning. I have already tasted it. It is very rich! The ladies of the church will also be given carnations this morning. It is really nice to celebrate the forerunner of Mothers' Day without all the commercial pressure!

I hope you enjoyed the history lesson! Happy Mothering Sunday!

Why not eat meat on Fridays?/Meatless Recipies

Traditionally, catholics abstain from meat on Fridays. This changed in the 60s. Roman catholics now abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Anglo-catholics have meatless Fridays year-round (except for Fridays falling between Christmas and Epiphany), and Fridays and Wednesdays during Lent. Why Fridays? Christ was crucified on a Friday. Every Friday is a little Good Friday, and every Sunday is a little Easter. Giving up meat is a small sacrifice to remind of us of Jesus' much greater sacrifice. I must add that the Eastern Orthodox have a much more rigorous system of fasts that more closely mirrors the fasts of the ancient church. They give up oil, dairy, wine, and "anything with a backbone."

All this is to say that I will be sharing my favorite meatless recipes with you over the next few weeks. I hope to share some recipes for anyone who enjoys vegetarian meals and any Christian who chooses to observe little Good Fridays.

If you do not already have a favorite charity, I encourage you to look at Operation Rice Bowl. They encourage families to eat simple meals once or twice a week and collect the money they save to send to others in need. There is also a calendar with daily facts and prayers to be used during Lent. I'm sure you could adjust this concept to your own family, and perhaps save money to use for a local charity.

Stay tuned for a vegetarian recipe on Wednesday!

More

I have something else to add to my previous post about the Reformation. To deny the fruits of the Catholic Church, is to leave unaccounted for the lives of the saints. These are concrete and verifiable examples of Christ's charity, goodness, peace and power at work. A bad tree cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit. I remember learning about Maximilian Kolbe in the Protestant church where I grew up. Because of the animosity toward Catholics, no one could admit that he was a Catholic!

I have spent the past few days reading article after article spewing forth hatred of the Catholic church. I find myself mystified to read again and again the "tradition" that the Catholic church started to go wrong in 95 AD when Clement wrote about the Christian priesthood. Example after example of Church Fathers writing about priests and sacraments are explained away with a simple, "They were wrong." They require one to believe that the Holy Spirit stopped leading the church a few short years after He began, and picked back up again in the 16th century. So the people living 1500 years after the apostles understand their meanings better than the contemporaries and successors to the apostles themselves.

In college I had a history professor who pointed out that the Catholic Church kept Christianity alive during the Dark Ages and Middle Ages. Kept it alive a flourishing. And not just Christianity, but also kept alive what was good and true from the Ancients. Catholic Saints and Martyrs spread Christianity throughout the known world. They set up the libraries, hospitals, hotels, and schools. They kept Faith and Hope and Civilisation alive.

I'm not saying you need to bow down to every statue that produces tears, or you can buy your way into Heaven. I am saying, most earnestly, that the baby was thrown out with the bathwater. You cannot vilify Catholicism itself because there were human abuses here and there throughout the Church's 2,000 year history. Modern fans of the Reformation should look at the Church and its worship and beliefs and stop getting their information second hand from people who need to hate in order to justify their own theology.

Sermon over. Off soapbox. Will return to Homeschool and Cross Stitch.

Reformation

Did you know that October was Reformation Month in the Protestant world? I never knew that growing up Protestant. I think this is a wonderful time for everyone to brush up on his Church history.

I am constantly amazed by what I am learning that I learned incorrectly in school. Columbus did not think the earth was flat (most everyone that could look at the horizon knew it was not flat). Galileo was not condemned by the Church because he believed the solar system was heliocentric (but because he said the Bible was fallible). Newton did not say if you drop two items of different weights, they will land at the same time (he said that would happen in a vacuum where air pressure would not be a factor).

My point is that history comes to us through the filter of the prevailing culture. Just as the ancient Egyptians never lost a battle, (they just kept winning them closer to home ;) ), we cannot always trust Known Facts. ( I had a friend in high school and college who always supported her gossip with, "It's a known fact." Love you, Jen!). I listened to a broadcast this morning about the Reformation. I turned it off when my stomach started to turn. My stomach turned when I heard the words "the reformers dusted off the Bible."

Most of my friends are Baptists. Do you know we almost never disagree when we discuss religion? And we discuss religion everyday! They think the priest-thing and the Real Presence are a bit odd, but they are always willing to listen and discuss (And they do tell me when they think Catholics are just plain wrong. Love you K and E!) My friend K looked at our worship service and exclaimed, "It's all from the Bible!" Yes. It is. At least 90% is straight from scripture. And we use an English translation of the Latin Mass.

My main problem is the prevailing perception of Martin Luther. If you look closely at history, you will see that many of the things he claims cannot be trusted. For instance, his claim, which was echoed in the broadcast I listened to, that he never had contact with Scripture in the monastery. Well. That is not supported by any facts. There are different rules in monasteries, but I am betting if ML paid attention he would have heard the Bible read throughout the day.

The idea that the Church tried to keep the Bible out of the hands of the people, is a half truth. Yes, the Church did not view with joy the idea that the Bible would be translated by anyone and interpreted by personal filters throughout the world. The Church believes in a three-fold authority. The Holy Ghost leads the Church. We have God-given reason, we have the Bible and we have Holy Tradition. And by tradition I do not mean eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I mean looking back and seeing "what has been believed in all times, by all people, in all places." This shows with clarity where the winds of false doctrine blew, and what is orthodox. Yes, the Bible is infallible. But the way an individual interprets Scripture is most certainly fallible. That is why the Church gives us a huge body of Tradition to measure our interpretation against. So we don't spend our lives squabbling about post- or pre- millienial rapture. Lean not on your own understanding indeed. The Church is the Custodian and Defender of the Scriptures. She preserves, interprets correctly and yes, proclaims them. You could not be a catholic in the pre-reformation period and have no contact with the Bible. Those stained glass windows which some railed against - those presented Bible stories and Scriptural Truth for the illiterate - which was most people! Add illiteracy to the fact that modern languages were only recently come into definite forms. During the Middle Ages it would not have been much use to try to translate Scripture into the many local dialects. The Mass itself is Scripture readings, psalms and songs from Scripture, prayers straight from scripture and inspired by Scripture, sermons carefully monitored to make sure they are based on Scripture. And most important, The Word of God comes into the body and soul of believers during the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Faith comes by hearing....not necessarily by reading someone's unauthorized version of the Bible (like Martin Luther's in which he shuffled some God-inspired books to the back, and you know what he said about the Book of James.) And then interpreting it through the earnest, yet compromised filter of your own desires and biases. No, I argue, you cannot say the Church tried to keep the Scriptures away from the Body of Christ. Rather, the Church was trying to preserve the Scriptures for the people and protect the Bible from personal distortion.

Sure the Holy Spirit speaks directly to people. But people mistake what they hear. He is not telling us all different things. And when you look at the whole counsel of Scripture - how do you know you are seeing that correctly? Lean not on your own understanding.

So I love my protestant friends and family members, but no more untruths about Church history, okay? It's difficult to separate fact from fiction, but we can try. Martin Luther was an amazingly complex individual. How could the same man who wrote A Mighty Fortress, be so coarse and foul-mouthed, calling fellow Protestants "mouthpieces of the Devil" when they disagreed with him? Maybe because he was fallible like you and I are. Putting him on a pedastle does him a disservice. It makes him an idol for some and a demon for others.

The Church is always in need of Reform, and there have been some mighty and holy reformers. But they were not the ones who shouted the loudest, used the foulest language and had the worst tempers. St Theresa of Avila, born two years before the events of 1517, effected great reform in the monasteries of her day. Yet she never abandoned the Catholic Faith deposited by the Church Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils. Sacred Tradition is what has been believed in all places, in all times, by all people. Many of the problems in the late Medieval Church in Europe do not measure up well to Sacred Tradition. The true holy reformers highlighted those problems and changed practices without changing the Faith.

And John Tetzel, look past the fiction and see what kind of man he really was.

The Feast of St. Michael and all Angels, Commonly Called Michaelmas Day

O praise the Lord, ye angels of his, ye that excel in strength: ye that fufil his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his words.

15 September Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1. The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus.(Luke 2:34)
2. The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)
4. The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
5. The Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (John 19:25)
6. The Descent from the Cross where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)
7. The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)